Don’t Abuse The Naira
Thoughts on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s abuse of the naira policy
It’s the weekend and you are at an owambe. Your best friend’s cousin’s great uncle’s grandfather’s funeral. He passed on at the very ripe old age of 95 so no expenses have been spared in ensuring he is well celebrated. As expected, everyone is dressed to the nines in the beautiful asoebi which family members and interested guests have purchased. You didn’t know your best friend’s late relative nor do you know anyone else in the family but you’re wearing the asoebi as well because that’s what we do.
Parties like this often have no clear reception programme as all the eulogies are said at the funeral service so merriment is the event focus. There’s a solid music band on stage and they have been playing all the hit songs by popular musicians from back in the day. The MC is busy welcoming guests and cracking jokes. In a few minutes, he announces that the celebrants will be called to dance on the stage. As expected, this is also a call to friends and family to join them in celebrating Papa’s life.
There’s just something about band lead singers when they take hold of the microphone. The minute they start praise singing, something activates in your mind and you pull out wads of Naira notes as you begin to lavishly spray the band and your friend. All of a sudden, you hear: “Stop spraying, you are under arrest for abusing the Naira!” People begin to run in different directions to evade arrest. Party scatter.
In case you have been living under a rock, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has started enforcing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy on Naira abuse. A couple of months ago, Nollywood actress, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin was sentenced by a Federal High Court, to six months imprisonment after pleading guilty to spraying and stepping on Naira notes at a social event. The judge, however, provided the option of paying a N300,000 fine plus forfeiture of a Range Rover vehicle which was recovered from her when she was arrested.
Last week, self-acclaimed Mummy of Lagos, Bobrisky, real name Idris Okuneye, was also sentenced to six months imprisonment for abusing the Naira. The option of a fine was, however, not granted to him and he has begun to service his time in a correctional facility. Many have wondered why the full weight of the law has been brought on him being a first-time offender. It is noteworthy, though, that he was also charged with money laundering and those charges were dropped when he pleaded guilty to abusing the Naira. Did this have anything to do with that? I have no idea.
Pascal Okechukwu AKA Cubana Chief Priest, a popular socialite and businessman, has also been charged to court for allegedly spraying the Naira at social events. Unlike the two previous personalities, he has pleaded not guilty to the charges and the judge has granted him N10million bail with two sureties in like sum. This trial will be very interesting as the EFCC will have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. I wonder which law firm will represent Cubana Chief Priest.
What is so important about the Naira that people should not abuse it? Which actions constitute abuse of the Naira? Are there other countries that have a similar policy? Let’s start with understanding the Naira abuse policy. According to Section 21(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007 (as amended), tampering with coins or notes issued by the CBN is an offence and anyone found guilty on conviction shall be liable to not less than six months imprisonment or a fine of not less than N50,000, or to both fine and imprisonment. Section 21(2) further clarifies that any act of mutilation, squeezing, spoiling, writing on, tearing, and piercing amongst others, shall be considered tampering.
For the avoidance of doubt, Section 21(3) specifies that “spraying of, dancing or matching on the Naira or any note issued by the Bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the Naira or such note and shall be punishable under the law by fines or imprisonment or both.” Hawking, selling, or trading in the Naira notes or coins are also punishable offences as stated in Section 21(4).
Reading through this section of the CBN act made me realise that the majority of the citizenry probably has a case to answer in court for abusing the Naira. If you have even gone to buy things in the open market, I am sure you would have received, at least once, damp, wrinkled notes retrieved from a market woman’s bosom. If you haven’t, then you must have been given torn Naira notes as change by a bus conductor. And if you are one of the elites (you don’t shop in the open market and have not “jumped bus” before), you dear friend, have most likely purchased mint Naira notes and sprayed or been sprayed at a party. So who exactly is innocent? From the millionaires to the mekunus, we’re all liable, aren’t we?
I wasn’t sure which other countries had a similar policy so I did some quick research (thank you ChatGPT). The United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, India, Japan, China, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Egypt, all have policies that address the mutilation, defacement, alteration, and destruction of currency notes and coins. They also stipulate penalties for violation which could include fines or imprisonment. Interestingly, as far as I can tell, Nigeria is the only country that considers spraying (and using the Naira notes for money bouquets) as currency abuse.
What’s the fuss about spraying the Naira? Why did the CBN include it in the act? Since people tend to spray mint notes, are they defacing, mutilating, or spoiling the Naira notes? Is the problem the fact that people purchase the notes to spray or they tend to step on the notes while spraying is going on or the act of spraying itself is the issue? If one can successfully spray a person and the notes remain intact when put away, can they be said to be abusing the Naira? How is arranging Naira in beautiful bouquets an abuse of the currency? Isn’t it art? These are just some of the questions that have run through my mind.
Spraying has been around forever. I am not sure when or why it started but it’s been a permanent (now threatened) fixture of the Nigerian party. Many years ago, before the internet and GSM arrived, people would gently press the currency notes to one’s forehead or chest. The receiver would swiftly collect the notes and hand them to a designated “money picker” who was also responsible for picking up all of the notes that fell to the ground. With time, spraying evolved to using cash cannons (spray guns) and then recently, throwing huge wads of currency notes at the celebrant. We have gone from showing solidarity with the celebrants to showing off.
Not everybody likes to spray or be sprayed. Some have spiritual reasons (don’t let anyone touch any part of your body), others just don’t like it. Providing baskets which people throw money into has solved the problem for some but many others would rather make a transfer or hand over money in an envelope since giving is very much part of our party culture. Speaking about culture, it occurred to me that Nigerians are not the only ones who spray money at events. I know there are Middle Eastern and Asia cultures where spraying is a big part of their parties, same for Black Americans who make it rain in the clubs.
The Naira abuse policy has been around for a long time but now that the government has begun to enforce it, I wonder how far back they would go. One of the charges against Cubana Chief Priest goes back to 2020. Since video evidence has to be presented, are we going to see people charged for spraying as far back as 2008 which was the first time I remember using a camera phone? The EFCC has stated that some celebrities have been invited for questioning, are they also focusing on politicians? Do they have the manpower to address this situation?
Ardent partygoers will miss spraying and being sprayed at parties but I trust the average Nigerian, we will find a way around it. We have already seen people use dummy notes to spray (they do a bank transfer in exchange for the notes). I even saw a spray app recently which I didn’t quite understand.
Now that awareness about the policy has increased, we all have no excuse to abuse the Naira. Biko, my people, if anyone attempts to spray you at a party, just bring out your phone and threaten to record them and send the video to EFCC. Make sure you collect the money though, even though spraying is an offence, country hard. A word is enough for the wise, this is the way I see things today.
